


Book Club

by seasonschange_butpeopledont



Series: Book Club [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pedro Pascal Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28136742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasonschange_butpeopledont/pseuds/seasonschange_butpeopledont
Summary: You meet a mysterious stranger during your first week at the University of California, Sunnydale, and his taste in literature is questionable.
Relationships: Eddie (BtVS)/Reader, Eddie/Reader
Series: Book Club [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117241
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Book Club

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is... completely self-indulgent, but I have a desperate need to affectionately bully this sweet puppy for his love of Of Human Bondage. Inspired by headcanons by @artemiseamoon on Tumblr.

You had only been at the University of California, Sunnydale for a week, but you were already homesick. Living in the dorms wasn’t quite what you had thought it would be; you had yet to become _BFFs_ with your roommate and had taken to hiding out in one of the courtyards on campus whenever possible, if only just for a bit of peace and quiet. Ever since move-in day, it seemed that the parties and music had been going non-stop. 

You had told your parents that you didn’t need to be here. You had been born in Sunnydale, after all. You could simply stay at home, sleeping in your own bed, and drive yourself to and from classes each day; it would have been more comfortable for you. However, they had _insisted_ that you needed the “complete college experience” and had promptly kicked you out of the nest when they dropped you off last week. 

And that brought you to where you were now, a darkened courtyard in the middle of the night, the only place that you had been able to hear yourself think for the better part of a week. Even the library had seemed too lively for you. You liked it here, though, breathing in the fresh air and looking up at the stars. You’d brought a flashlight and your favorite worn paperback copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ along for your outing. You felt a bit like a child again, reading by flashlight in the dead of night, as if your mother or father would catch you at any moment and insist that you put your book away and go to sleep. 

But there was no one here, at least no one that you could see. Leaning back against the tree trunk, you tucked your knees up to your chest, balancing the book against them, clicked on your flashlight, and immersed yourself in Austen’s words…

Your break from reality didn’t last long, though. You hadn’t read more than a chapter or two before you heard the rustling of twigs snapping underfoot. You looked up from your novel, your heart racing as you immediately thought back to every episode of _Dateline_ and _Unsolved Mysteries_ that you had ever watched. _Why were you an idiot? This is exactly how-_

You didn’t have much time to go down that path of self-scolding, as a shadowy figure appeared across the courtyard. 

To his credit, he didn’t look like a serial killer. _Maybe-_ not that you had met any for yourself. _Actually, maybe he did-_

His head swiveled around, landing on you immediately. While his actions told you that he had been aware of your presence, there still seemed to be a hint of surprise on his face when he looked at you. 

Like an idiot, you raised your hand in a half-hearted wave, unsure of what to do now that he had acknowledged your presence. If he was, in fact, a potential murderer, then you supposed it would at least benefit you to observe common courtesies. He seemed to hesitate for a moment as if debating whether to approach you or flee; he appeared to decide on the former. 

When he came closer, you became certain that you had never seen him before. He was tall and lanky, with neat, dark hair and wide brown puppy dog eyes. He was instantly likable, the softness of his appearance telling your mind that he was not a threat without needing much evidence to indicate that it was the truth. _Trust him_ , the voice inside of your head seemed to say. 

* * *

Eddie tucked his hands into his pockets, ducking his head as he slowly walked over to you. He could still feel the panic in his bones at the sight of his clawed fingers and fanged mouth. It had taken a few hours, but he thought that he could control it now that he had fed. _Fed._ His stomach turned at the word. 

You weren’t supposed to be here. You were supposed to be the person he’d sat exactly one row behind and one seat to the left of on the first day of Psychology 105. He’d entertained the idea of potentially developing the slightest of crushes on you for the better part of that hour-long lecture, spending much more time watching your look of concentration as your pen glided across the pages of your notebook than actually taking notes himself. He could tell that you were shy, like him, and he’d noticed that you’d had your nose stuck in a book right up until the professor had walked through the door to begin their lecture. 

You weren’t supposed to be here. Not here, in the middle of the night with… _vampires_ lurking about the campus. Not when _he_ was just as much of a threat to you as any of them. 

But it was like a magnet was pulling him towards you. Part of his newfound vampire status, he’d discovered, was that he had much more difficulty managing his impulses than he’d had as a human. He tried to tell himself that he simply wanted to help you, to make sure that you found your way back to your dorm safely, but he knew that it was more than that. You were pretty and smart, and _here_ , and Eddie was lonely and more than a little freaked out by the past few days. He had _wanted_ to talk to you, ever since you’d sat down in front of him in Professor Walsh’s class, and that was more than enough for his new, impulsive vampire brain to decide that tonight was the night he was finally going to do it. 

“H-hi there,” Eddie spoke hesitantly. Apparently becoming a member of the undead had not done anything to help his awkwardness around girls. If his heart was still beating, it would have been pounding in his chest as you smiled up at him kindly. 

“Hi,” you echoed. 

“What are you reading?” He asked, cringing to himself internally. You’re hanging out _here_ in the middle of the night and he strikes up a conversation about _books_. 

You wordlessly hold up the cover of the novel for him to read. 

“Is it any good?” He asked. Eddie was a romantic at heart, and he had most definitely read the novel before, but he’d much rather hear you talk about it. 

“It’s Jane Austen,” You laughed softly- _God, you had a beautiful laugh-_ , “Of course it’s good. It’s my favorite.”

Eddie was struck by the way that you didn’t seem to be afraid of him, your eyes alight as you gave your succinct review of the novel. 

“ _Of Human Bondage_ ,” He found himself saying. His eyes went wide as your lips twitched into a frown and your eyebrows drew together. “Oh, it’s not—“ He choked out, reading your facial expression. “I didn’t mean _that_. It’s just this novel—“

Your expression immediately softened when you noticed how flustered he’d become at the thought that he had offended you in some way. 

“I know that,” You giggled. “I’ve read it. Part of it, anyway.”

“You have?” He was hardly able to hide his excitement, the first spark of joy he’d felt since he’d awoken a monster. He had to remind himself not to let his emotions get out of hand; the last thing he needed was to morph into Count Dracula in front of you and scare you off. 

You nodded in response to his question, and he took it as an invitation to plop himself down on the ground in front of you, the action a bit awkward with his long legs.

“I’ve read it like ten times,” He gushed, “I always keep it right by my bed.” He rarely got a chance to talk about the item he’d once dubbed his security blanket. At least, not with anyone who knew what he was rambling on about. 

“I can understand why,” You nodded with mock-sympathy, biting back a smile. “Maugham has put me to sleep on several occasions.”

A scoff escaped from his chest, a grin on his lips at her good-natured teasing. 

“It’s a coming-of-age novel,” Eddie protested lightly. “They’re _supposed_ to be a little boring.”

“So is _Jane Eyre_ , but I don’t use Brontë to help me to sleep at night.”

He shook his head in disbelief, extending his hand towards her and hoping that she would attribute the lack of body heat to the cool night air, “I’m Eddie.” 

You gave him your name in return, saying nothing about the temperature as you shook his hand. You were a mystery to him. Though you’d appeared so quiet and shy when he’d seen you before, you seemed to transform before his eyes as you spoke about your passions. _Of course_ , Eddie thought to himself, _A girl finally notices me, and I’m a walking corpse._

* * *

You didn’t know how much time the two of you had spent talking; talking about books, about your dreams after school, about your lives before you’d gotten here. It was the first time that you had felt like you belonged here all week. It was nice to know that you weren’t the only one who’d had difficulty adjusting to college life. 

You found that Eddie was easy to talk to; he was kind and thoughtful, and clearly a dreamer, despite his plain clothes and conservative appearance. Something told you that he was holding something back, though, something that he was afraid to tell you. You didn’t mind, exactly; you had been perfect strangers only a few hours ago. What troubled you was the way that whatever it was seemed to eat away at Eddie. You could tell that he was lonely; that wasn’t uncommon for college freshmen. Maybe he was just homesick, like you. 

When the sky began to hint that the sun would soon peak over the horizon, Eddie untangled his legs from the pretzel he had twisted them into, brushing off his pants and offering you a hand to help you up. You took it without hesitation, noting that it seemed colder than you’d expected. That little voice seemed to nag at you again. _What was wrong with Eddie?_

You said your goodbyes solemnly, both of you reluctant to end the evening, but knowing that the sunrise would come soon enough and bring along the bustling student body with it. Without needing to say anything, you seemed to understand that, whatever was going on with him, this little impromptu book club was meant to be confined to the shadows. 

“Hey, Eddie?” You ask, just as he’d broken off from the bike path to disappear into the trees. He whipped his head around to look at you, almost tripping himself in the progress. You shake your head, unable to hold back a smile at his adorable awkwardness. 

“Same time next week?”


End file.
